Your Journey Out of Depression: Faith and Exercise: The Medicine That Doctors Don't Talk About

By Keila M. Vazquez

LET'S WALK THIS JOURNEY TOGETHER.

Motivated by her personal testimony, Keila M. Vazquez shares about her history of struggling with depression, which entered her life in different ways and on multiple occasions, including an incredibly tough time after Keila's mother lost her own battle wit

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jul 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887387796

Keila M. Vazquez

KEILA M. VAZQUEZ is an author, mother, wife of an amazing man, and a personal trainer. She is also a sister, a daughter, an engineer, a scientist, and, most importantly, a believer of God through her own life experiences.After winning her battle against depression, Keila now fulfills her passion by helping others successfully conquer their depression, heal wounds from their past that still haunt them, and find their purpose in life in the midst of their struggles.

Book preview

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Your Journey

Out Of

Depression

Faith and Exercise:

The Medicine that Doctors

Don’t Talk About

Keila M. Vazquez

Greyscale Trilogy Publishing logo

Your Journey Out of Depression

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2023 by Keila M. Vazquez

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked GW are taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of God’s Word Mission Society.

Scripture quotations marked ICB are taken from the International Children’s Bible®. Copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.

For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 979-8-88738-778-9

ISBN: 979-8-88738-779-6 (eBook)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Tool 1: Identify the Root of Your Sadness

The Root of My Sadness

The Invisible Roots that Can Be Seen

Reflect

Prayer

Tool 2: Your Situation Has a Purpose

5 Ways to See Your Problems

Having a Purpose Gives Us Life

The Science of Purpose

Who Are We without Purpose?

Find Purpose in Everything

Relapses Do NOT Stop Your Purpose

Reflect

Prayer

Tool 3: All Change Begins in the Mind

Identify What Is in Your Heart

Replace Negative Thoughts with Positive Ones

Practice Gratitude

Reflect

Prayer

Tool 4: You Are Not the Only One in This Battle

Depression Does Not Discriminate

Loneliness

The Fear of Change

Reflect

Prayer

Tool 5: Let’s Have Intention

Be Intentional

Intention and Desire

Wishes of Your Heart

We Are What We Consume MOST

Resist Evil Desires

The Secret of Loving God Tenderly

Reflect

Prayer

Tool 6: Physical and Spiritual Connection

Our Being — Fight Depression with Your Whole Being!

Exercise Combined with Faith

Physical – Time in Body Care

Spiritual – Time in Devotion

Mental – Time in Reflection

Reflection

Prayer

Tool 7: Activate and Enjoy the Process

Plan

Enjoy

Reflection

Prayer

A Final Note

Notes and References

Introduction

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

After some time debating with my great desires to help other people, and especially other women, to fight depression and all the feelings that come from this horrible disease, I finally gave up on continuing to fight against these desires. For this reason, here I present to you by this means some tools that will help you fight this horrible disease, which comes like a thief in the night; and I am sure they will bless your lives in unexpected ways.

This immense desire to help people fight depression was not born from the statistics that I have analyzed, nor from wanting or pretending to be a good Samaritan. My motivation for doing this was born after having seen and shared with so many people who are struggling with this horrible mental war. Many of them have not been able to overcome this war for years; and others unfortunately have lost it. Among those who lost this mental war was my own mother; and this event has not only marked my life forever, but it is part of the reason why this book was born.

I felt what it was like to live with a sadness that touched me to the bone. I felt the weakening effect of it inside me, so strong that I could almost say that I knew what a broken heart was. I felt mere depression.

It has been seven months since my mother passed away, and I want to share with you how exercise combined with faith in God has helped me so that my life is not defined by this event, and that it does not keep revolving around this painful event. Above all, I want to help you fight depression once and for all, just as I have been able to do it, using certain tools that everyone can apply for themselves.

In this healing process, I understood and learned how much depression affects our lives, including our physical health, and not just our mental health as many may think. I want you to understand that your mental health is reflected in your physical health and that your physical health without mental health is worth nothing.

I have known people very close to me who lived a life of moderate to very active physical activity. But on the inside, they suffered from mental wars and were burdened with anxiety, insecurities, and a life of constant emotional imbalance, which led some of them to the point of suicide. So, what use was all that physical activity to them, if in the end their mental and spiritual health was never taken care of, and resulted in the loss of their lives?

Which, by the way, they had already lost long before their last breath.

On the other hand, we also see people who, in some way, took care of their spiritual health. Some of these people are actively working with the church, some are even leaders in churches, and others consider themselves Christians or believers in the faith, but their physical health is completely neglected or deteriorated.

These same people are the ones who get sick from poor nutrition and then complain to God for not having good health. These people live with insecurities within themselves, they do not work on improving their own health, and they are completely neglected physically, without knowing that this also causes depression, bitterness, and even a horrible state of mind, which creates a toxic environment around them.

The reality is that we limit God’s plan in our lives, by the simple fact of not taking care of our physical health, which is necessary to continue that plan that God has for each one of us, including getting out of depression. That is why I want to show you through these tools presented here, that God created us with abilities that we do not know we possess until we begin to use them.

This is my command — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

— Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

God asks us to strive and be brave, because he, who created us, knows that this earthly life is not easy and that the fears that lie in wait for us are real. In the midst of my sadness, I was able to force myself to start exercising, it was not easy at all to start exercising. I felt an enormous heaviness, and on the inside, I knew that I didn’t want to feel like this, therefore something had to be done.

When I started exercising, I felt stronger and more cheerful. It was like seeing a miracle of God happening in my life. I felt that little by little I was recovering, but that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t taken the first step. You just have to be strong and brave to take the first step, because God is with you; just as he was and has been with me.

When I decided to take my first step, I felt so liberated, and I am so grateful to God, that to this day I do not want to stop showing Him how much I love Him. I show my love by honoring him through my physical and spiritual health. As a result, my days are full of new strength, hope, and energy to play all the roles that I have in my work life, as well as in my life as a mother, a wife, and a woman. My wishes for you are that you acquire the knowledge of what it means to sow love towards God